Western Parotia

Male Western Parotia Dancing

Western Parotia (Parotia sefilata) is a species of paradise birds that people can watch when traveling to Manokwari. I guided Prof. Richard Ebright - an American biologist on a birding tour to Arfak mountains from 18 to 20 July 2013. In the last day of the tour, we entered a blind that was especially built for watching Western Parotia. The male bird has got black color all over his body with 6 antennas at his head. We had to wait for 5 hours inside the blind that was wet, dark and full of mosquitoes.
In order to seduce his partner, male Western Parotia had to perform a beautiful courtship dance where female Western Parotia perched on a small branch of a tree just above the dancing ground. Before dancing, the male bird cleaned the "stage" from fallen twigs and leaves.

Juvenile Western Parotia

Then he would dance to impress his lover. The style of the dance was similar to ballet.
The Young Western Parotia also Danced!
When we were waiting for an adult male Western Parotia to land on the ground and performed, suddenly, we saw a young Western Parotia landed on the ground. He performed a courtship dance without the presence of a female bird. He was doing a rehearsal. We were very surprised to see that scene. At first we thought that it was another species but later after opening our field guide book, Birds of New Guinea, we determined that it was a young or a juvenile Western Parotia.

During our stay in the blind, we were able to see Spotted Catbird (now it is called Arfak Catbird) and Cinnamon Ground Dove. It was a fleeting moment for the cat bird. Cinnamon Ground Dove was at the dancing site quite long. I think he was there for more than 30 minutes finding grains on the ground. I could make some videos and photographs of this bird. The bird stayed still with her eyes staring at the "peep hole" where I put my camera. I guessed the auto focus lamp of my camera attracted her attention. We also saw two other smaller birds that we could not shoot by my camera.

We returned to Manokwari city again at 12.00. During the birdwatching tour we saw vogelkop bower bird, blyth's hornbill, cinnamon ground dove, spotted catbird, magnificent birds of paradise and two smaller birds that I could not identify. They flew away in seconds before I could take pictures of them.
As a birdwatching destination, Manokwari has got plenty of places where birdwatchers can explore to see tropical birds.
For lowland and coastal birding, Western Crowned Pigeon, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, Sandpiper, and Kingfishers are some of the birds that can be seen in Manokwari.
Now I spend more of my time organizing snorkeling, birding and sightseeing tours in Raja Ampat,  please contact me: Charles Roring by email: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Lesser Paradise birds in Arfak mountains

A lot of birdwatchers and rainforest lovers go to Arfak mountains to watch paradise birds. There are several species that can be seen both in the lower and upper montane forests.
Lesser Birds of Paradise
 
One of the most famous species of paradise birds is the Lesser Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea minor). The birds can mostly be seen in lower montane forest. They like to gather in trees whose branches overlook sunrise. Early in the morning when the weather is clear, male Lesser BOPs fly to the trees to call their female counterparts. Morning sunlight makes their feather looks bright and colorful. The male birds of paradise will perform courtship dance to attract female lesser birds of paradise for mating. They jump from one branches to another. The branches that are used for the courtship dance have been cleared from twigs, leaves and moss. A recommended site for tourists who want to watch these paradise birds is Susnguakti forest. It is located in the south of Manokwari city approximately 1 hour ride and another 1 hour hiking into the jungle.

To watch the paradise birds in Susnguakti forest, birdwatchers have to wake up early in the morning at around 4.30 a.m. After eating some food and drinking coffee or tea, they need to leave the their camp for the birding site. Crossing a small stream of cool water in a narrow ravine, they will slowly walk up steep slopes of the Arfak range. When the sun rises in the east from the horizon of the Pacific Ocean, the male lesser birds of paradise perch on the branches of the trees and begin calling their females. The "courtship dance show" lasts for about 3 hours from 6 to 9 a.m. They can also be seen in the afternoons at around 13.00 to 15.00. Birdwatchers need to bring a good pair of binoculars or a D-SLR camera that is powered with telephoto lens. The camera that I highly recommend for birdwathers is Canon PowerShot SX50 HS or Nikon Coolpix P600. It is a compact point and shoot camera that is powerful and affordable. If you understand Indonesian language, please, contact Yunus Sayori (cell phone: 081343316087).
Other birds of paradise in Arfak mountains
In addition to the Lesser BOP, visitors can also see such species as Western Parotia, Magnificent birds of paradise, magnificent rifle bird, Arfak astrapia.

Interested in visiting Arfak mountains?
If you want to visit Warmarway village of Arfak mountains, and need an English speaking guide, please, contact us by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Birdwatching in Manokwari

Blyth's hornbill

Manokwari is a nice destination for visitors who are interested in hiking and watching birds in the rainforest. There are regular flights between Manokwari and Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia served by such airlines as Sriwijaya, Lion/Wings, Batik Air and Garuda. Birders usually go to Arfak mountains to watch paradise birds or do night walk to see fireflies, glowing mushrooms and cuscus possum.

Susnguakti Forest

King Bird of Paradise in Arfak mountains

There is a forest in the eastern region of Arfak mountains where visitors can enjoy hiking to watch several species of tropical birds such as Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor), King Bird of Paradise (Cicinnurus regius), Magnificent Riflebird (Ptiloris magnificus), Common Paradise Kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea), Great Cuckoo Dove, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Brown Oriole, and Coconut Lorikeet and a lot of other birds that are endemic to Arfak range.  Lesser Birds of Paradise usually dance in the mornings and in the afternoons in the rainforest near basecamp that we have built for tourists. Birders need to walk up steep slopes to reach it. So, only birders who are physically fit that can go to the place. They must wear good sport shoes or trekking boots and bring binoculars. We have prepared mattrasses, pillows, cooking and eating utensils for tourists who want to spend several days exploring the bio-diversity of animals and plants in this forest. Besides watching birds of paradise, other interesting attraction is watching cuscus and exploring the jungle itself at night. The tropical rainforest is home to various species of plants, and animals, including mushrooms that glow at nights, orchids, bamboos and a lot of insects.

Mesirrokow Forest

Birding and riverwalk in Mesirrokow forest in Manokwari

In addition to Mesirrokow as one of the best birding sites in the bird's head region of West Papua, the most recommended site for hiking and birdwatching in Vogelkop region is Mesirrokow forest. Located in lowland region, Mesirrokow is only one hour car trip from Manokwari. In addition to hiking and birdwatching, another activity that tourists can enjoy in Mesirrokow is swimming in the river.

Miyah forest

Another important birdwatching destination in West Papua is Miyah forest. Located in Tambrauw mountains, it is considered one of the most important birding sites in the world. This may sound subjective but Miyah forest is a must see place for birdwatchers who really want to see a lot of birds that are endemic to New Guinea.
As a tourist guide, I offer birding tours for nature lovers who want to watch birds in Miyah. From my previous trips, I saw Lesser Birds of Paradise, Pinon Imperial Pigeon, Blyth's Hornbill, Palm Cockatoo, and many other birds that I cannot mention their names one by one in this post.
Visitors can go by 4WD pick up truck and continue their trip on foot to the forest. It will take a half day to reach Miyah. Tents and camping gear are needed if they want to stay in the jungle for a few nights. Since electricity is not always available in the forest, visitors need to bring some extra batteries for their cameras.
Please, contact me by email to peace4wp@gmail.com if you want to go hiking and birding in Manokwari. by Charles Roring

Birdwatching in Arfak mountains

Male Lesser Birds of Paradise in Susnguakti Forest

The mountain range of Arfak is located in the south of Manokwari city. It is a popular destination for watching various species of paradise birds and other tropical birds that are endemic to rainforest of New Guinea. There is a birding and wildlife watching site that I highly recommend for birdwatchers. Its name is Susnguakti forest (located in the eastern side of the mountains).

As a tourist guide, I have organized numerous tours to this forest for visitors who come from European countries such as Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and Switzerland.

There are also tourists who come from the United States, South Korea, China, and Australia. Some Indonesian tourists visited this forest too.
Most of them went to Susnguakti forest to watch paradise birds during the day and cuscus possum at night. The location of Susnguakti forest is approximately at around 400 to 700 meters above sea level. Visitors who go there need to walk up steep slopes of Arfak range to reach it.

Hiking, Birding and Camping

Jungle hut for tourists

Susnguakti forest is a great place for watching lower montane forest birds such as Lesser Birds of Paradise, King Bird of Paradise, Hooded Butcherbird,  Common Paradise Kingfisher,  Beautiful Fruit Dove,  Rufous-bellied Kookaburra and Coconut Lorikeet and a lot more.
The birds of paradise can be watched early in the mornings and late afternoons. The birding sites are within the walking distance from our basecamp approximately 10 to 15 minutes. I and local villagers have built huts for tourists who want to stay for several days in the jungle watching birds, and other animals.

Birding Binoculars

Swarovski SLC 10×42 WB binoculars

Because birds of paradise like to dance or perch on high trees, visitors need to use a good pair of binoculars to watch them. There are a lot of birding binoculars that are available on the market. The ones that produce sharp images are Swarovski EL 8.5×42 and the multi purpose Swarovski SLC 10×42 WB. There is also Canon 15×50 IS UD binoculars that are powered by image stabilizer technology. Binoculars that are made of high quality materials such as Extra-low Dispersion Lenses and Bak4 prisms glasses will produce sharp and rich color images of birds, butterflies, wild flowers and anything in the jungle.

Booking

If you are interested in traveling to Arfak mountains of Manokwari to watch paradise birds in the jungle, please, contact me (Charles Roring) -  by email: peace4wp@gmail.com.

Lesser Birds of Paradise

This is perhaps the most sought after birds in the world. People have hunted the Lesser Birds of Paradise (Paradisaea minor) since hundreds of years ago. Because of the continuous hunting, it is now facing extinction in several parts of New Guinea or West Papua forest. In 1980s, they could still be seen in the jungle of Table Mountain near Manokwari town. Today, I cannot see or watch the birds in that jungle anymore. Although Table Mountain is protected by the Department of Forestry of the Indonesian government, it is facing constant destruction from the town dwellers. Hunters carrying air guns like to go into the jungle of the mountain to shoot cuscus, soa-soa (monitor lizards) and birds.

Susnguakti Forest

Paradise bird in Susnguakti forest
of Manokwari

After searching the birds since 2010, finally, I was able to find their dancing site located in the territory of Susnguakti forest. It is a 1-hour ride from Manokwari town. There are four or five trees that have been chosen by the birds of paradise as the place where they perform courtship dance in the mornings and in the afternoons just before sunset. The trees stand on a hill with steep slope. I've got a blurred photograph of the male that I shot using Nikon Coolpix P500. I hope that I can make better pictures in the future. As a nature lover and eco-tourism enthusiast, I try to protect the area by offering birdwatching tours to tourists who want to watch birds of paradise. I hope that this environmentally friendly eco-tourism scheme will help local Papuan villagers generate alternative income that can replace their present livelihood.
Birds and Wild Animals

King Bird of Paradise

In addition to the Lesser Birds of Paradise, Susnguakti forest is also the natural habitat of King Bird of Paradise, Magnificent Riflebird, Hooded Butcherbird, Rufous-bellied Kookaburra, Coconut Lorikeet, Beautiful Fruit Dove, Common Paradise Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth.
Animals such as snakes, soa-soa monitor lizard, large ground brown skink, Papua Dragon Tree Lizard, blue-tailed lizard, Cruiser Butterfly (Vindula arsinoe), the Silky Owl Buterfly (Taenaris catops), Swallow tail blue mountain butterfly (Papilio ulysses) butterflies, beetles and fireflies can also be found in this forest.
A lot of species of plants in the jungle of this Arfak mountains including bamboos, big trees, orchids, and glowing mushrooms.
Booking your birding tour
If you want me to organize your birdwatching and wildlife tour in Manokwari, Sorong, Tambrauw Mountains, and Raja Ampat, please, contact me by email to: peace4wp@gmail.com 

Also read: 

• Wildlife Tour in Lowland Forest of Sorong